Restoring Civil Rights of NTT Earthquake Victims, Dukcapil Issues 3,055 Civil Documents

The handling of the earthquake impact on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), continues to move swiftly. The Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration (Ditjen Dukcapil) of the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) recorded that 3,055 civil documents belonging to residents affected by the disaster had been successfully reissued as of Tuesday, 25 August 2026. This figure continues to grow as field services remain ongoing.

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake centred in Nagekeo Regency, NTT, on 15 August 2026 at 04:58 WIB caused more than 100 deaths, injured 1,603 people, and displaced over 180,000 residents.

To assist communities affected by the disaster in NTT, Ditjen Dukcapil Kemendagri formed an Emergency Response Team for the NTT Earthquake, deployed across seven regencies starting from 24 August 2024.

During two days of mobile civil administration services at the disaster sites, Ditjen Dukcapil Kemendagri issued 3,055 population and civil registration documents.

The Emergency Response Team, fully supported by local Dukcapil offices, was deployed simultaneously across seven affected regencies: East Manggarai, Nagekeo, Manggarai, Ende, Ngada, Sikka, and West Manggarai.

Director General of Dukcapil Teguh Setyabudi emphasised that restoring civil administration documents at disaster sites is an urgent need so that displaced residents do not lose their basic rights.

“Civil documents such as electronic ID cards and Family Cards are often lost or damaged under collapsed buildings when a disaster occurs. Yet these documents are the main key for residents to access logistical aid, health services, and housing rehabilitation. The state is present directly at evacuation posts so that residents’ civil administration matters can be resolved on the spot free of charge,” said Teguh in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, on Wednesday, 26 August 2026.

This mobile service approach is also a solution to the paralysis of some Dukcapil services in the regions due to the earthquake. In several regencies, the server rooms of Dukcapil offices collapsed, a number of computers, printers, and electronic ID recording devices were severely damaged, while electricity and internet networks in several sub-districts were completely cut off, making access to services at sub-district offices impossible.

These conditions prompted Ditjen Dukcapil to bring portable equipment and satellite internet networks directly to evacuation sites, rather than waiting for residents to come to offices that in many cases could no longer operate normally.